Reading is thinking.
It is vital that you know how to leave tracks of your thinking.
Use the follow symbols – either mark your text or use post it notes.
Reading
The transformative power of reading
This is a wonderful article featuring a speech by Nancie Atwell, speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative.
In March, Nancie was awarded the Global Teacher Prize.
By Valerie Strauss. The Washington Post, October 17, 2015.
Ladies and gentlemen:
I’m honored to be speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. The CGI has become one of the world’s most important forums for creating solutions to its most pressing problems. This year’s meeting focuses the global conscience at a significant moment for our planet. The challenges are daunting: climate change, refugees from areas of conflict, hunger, disease, and the access of every child to a quality education.
Shaun Tan on writing picture story books
With the release of Shaun Tan’s latest book The Singing bones – it is interesting to read his reflection on writing children’s picture story books.
PICTURE BOOKS: Who Are They For?
By Shaun Tan
One of the questions I am most frequently asked as a maker of picture books is this: ‘Who do you write and illustrate for?’ It’s a little difficult to answer, as it’s not something I think about much when I’m working alone in a small studio, quite removed from any audience at all. In fact, few things could be more distracting in trying to express an idea well enough to myself than having to consider how readers might react!
Australia’s Top 100 books
Claire Zorn – Winner CBCA Book of the Year 2015
I often say that I write for my seventeen year-old-self, right now my seventeen year-old-self is standing here saying ‘What the frig? How did this happen?’. I’m the kid who had a panic attack in the middle of her first HSC English exam and left. I’m not here because of the wonders of our education system, I am a glitch in the system. I’ve had the opportunity to visit a number of high schools recently and I’m not sure all that much has changed. When it comes to education we are very concerned with rankings and bell curves. It’s worth noting that I was discouraged from taking on what was then called three unit related English because my ranking wasn’t high enough. We want our kids to perform. We teach them to play Tchaikovsky by rote, but disable their ability to write their own music. I had teachers who fought against the obsession with marks and rankings and focused on nurturing my creativity, but I think that is like trying to light a candle in a cyclone, if you will allow me to get a bit Elton John.
Byron Bay Writers Festival – recommended reads
Bob Brown – Optimism.
Why it is still worthwhile defending this planet
Matthew Condon – Three crooked kings and jacks and jokers
The epic story of police corruption in Qld
Robyn Davison – Tracks
A woman’s journey across the outback of Australia.
Claire Dunne – My year without matches
A year living without modern conveniences
Malcolm Fraser – Dangerous allies
Australia’s foreign policy and international alliances
Ashley Hay – The railway man’s wife.
Kate Holden – In my skin
The memoir of a sex worker
Jono Lineen – Into the heart of the Himalayas
This author explores the culture, religion and people of the Himalayas, as well as taking a personal journey to recover from the loss of his brother.
Hugh MacKay – The good life
Social commentary
Kate McClymont – He who must be Obeid
Power broker Eddie Obeid, corruption in NSW
Tara Moss – The fictional woman
Social commentary on the role of women
Virginia Peters – Have you seen Simone?
Mystery disappearance of a young girl
Chris Sarra (founding chairman of the Stronger Smarter Institute) – Good morning Mr. Sarra.
John Safran – Murder in Mississippi
Race relationships, white supremacists, murder and mayhem in the southern states of the US
Jeanette Winterson – The daylight gate
Witch craft and superstition
M.L.Stedman – The light between oceans
A compelling tale of love and loss on a remote lighthouse island.
Humans of New York – photographs capturing the spirit of a city
Online reading – local author Steph Bowe
A great read…particularly for the romantics amoungst us… click on this banner (link) to read this short story by local author, Steph Bowe. She has also provided links to songs you can play while you listen.
You can use this short story as one of your reading assessment tasks. See below…
Add a commnent – what did you think? (Click on ‘no comments’ to add yours!)
Reading assessment task (RATS) – Fairy tales
Fairy tales
Examine the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, to present a report which analyses the works of these writers
Consult your library to answer these and other questions:
- What is a fairy tale?
- Are fairy tales timeless? Are they outdated today?
- Why do they appeal to children as well as to adults?
- Are they designed purely to entertain a child or do they operate on a deeper level?
Extension activity:
Write your own endless fairy tale. Print the task sheet here: Fairy tale task sheet
![. Fairy Tale [4/52] by Juliana Coutinho, on Flickr](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7159/6777620571_482c8233f4_m.jpg ". Fairy Tale [4/52] by Juliana Coutinho, on Flickr")
Rookie – an online magazine for girls.
Rookie is an online magazine for girls. It invites you to add your own written material.
It’s founder and editor is a 16 year old girl, Tavi Gevinson. She began blogging at 11, commenting on a wide range of topics including fashion and world affairs.
She felt “there wasn’t a magazine for teenage girls that respected its readers intelligence”…and so Rookie was established.
Check it out here:
Web 2.0 tools to inspire writing
Storybirds are short, art-inspired stories you make to share, read and print.